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A high velocity cloud in the direction 1 = 59 degrees, b = 41 degrees is detected in absorption at approximately -80 km/s in high dispersion IUE spectra of the blue star Barnard 29 in the globular cluster M13. The cloud is also seen in the H I 21 cm emission data of Kerr and Knapp (1972). Its radial velocity agrees with Giovanelli's data (1980, 1981) for high velocity clouds seen in this general direction of the sky. The cloud's motion is incompatible with the suggestions that neutral halo gas corotates with disk gas. The motion could be explained if neutral halo gas rotates more slowly than disk gas with increasing distance from the galactic plane. Because of our very limited understanding of the actual motions of halo gas, the scale height of this gas is best derived from plots of N sin b versus z for galactic and extragalactic stars.

Four interstellar absorption components associated with the immediate surroundings of the star are found in UV, high-dispersion IUE spectra of the LMC star HD 36402 in the N51D nebulosity. The 305 km/sec absorption is found to originate in low-density, 10,000 K gas, and the density and velocity structures agree with that derived from visual emission lines. From a fit of the observed Lyman-alpha profile, it is found that there is an N(H) of about 10 to the 20.2/sq cm in front of HD 36402, while the large N(H) of approximately 10 to the 21.3/sq cm from 21-cm data indicates most of the neutral gas to be behind N51D. An additional component shows N V, C IV and Si IV features which are stronger than is consistent with a wind-blown interstellar bubble, implying that there is additional absorption outside the bubble. Solar abundance ratios for the metals are suggested by the overall pattern of absorption line strength.

The far-UV energy distribution of two blue horizontal-branch (BHB) stars detected in the nucleus of M13 is presented. Their continua can be characterized by a model atmosphere of an effective temperature of 15,000 to 20,000 K and log g = 4.5, and it follows that V is in the range 15.9-16.7 for these stars. Comparison with integrated photometry by OAO 2 and by ANS indicates that, at wavelengths smaller than 1800 A, the integrated light is from BHB stars only, of which M13 contains about 200. For these far-UV wavelengths, the color of the BHB stars is also very similar to the integrated color of the elliptical galaxy M87.

Eighteen high-dispersion IUE spectra of six stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, three stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, and two foreground stars were analyzed. Fourteen spectra cover the wavelengths 1150-2000 A, and four cover 1900-3200 A; the velocity resolution is about 25 km/s. All the Magellanic Cloud spectra exhibit very strong interstellar absorption lines due to a wide range of ionization stages at galactic velocities and at velocities associated with the IMC or SMC. The observational results are related to current theoretical ideas about the origin and physical state of gaseous galactic halos; the analysis is restricted to the Milky Way absorption features.

High-dispersion IUE far-UV spectra were obtained for five stars in the LMC and two stars in the SMC. At Magellanic Cloud velocities, all the spectra exhibit very strong interstellar lines of Al III, Si IV, and C IV, in addition to the usual lower ionization stage lines associated with H I region absorption. In two stars interstellar N V is also detected at the 50 mA level. From a consideration of the strength, width, and radial velocity of these high ionization stage lines, it is argued that regions of hot halo gas have probably been detected in front of the Magellanic Clouds. The regions detected exhibit absorption characteristics very similar to that of the Milky Way corona described previously by Savage and de Boer (1979). A cloud detected in the line of sight to HD 5980 in the SMC at a radial velocity of 300 km/s is of unknown origin.

The IUE was used to obtain high-resolution far-UV spectra (1150-2070 A) of two stars in the 30 Dor H II region in the LMC. Interstellar absorption components are distinguished at +20, +220, +250, and +290 km/s. The +20 km/s component is produced by matter in the Galaxy; the high-velocity components are produced by absorbing gas near or in the LMC. A model of the line-of-sight distribution of the absorbing clouds is developed from the velocity pattern of the observed LMC features. The presence of Si IV, Al III, and C IV ions is discussed.

Galactic absorption features observed in high-dispersion far-UV spectra of two Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) stars obtained with the IUE satellite are discussed. The stars observed were HD 38268 (OB + WN5) and HD 38282 (WN6), which lie at a distance of about 55 kpc and in the galactic direction corresponding to a latitude of about -32 deg and a longitude of about 280 deg. The line of sight to these stars passes through the disk and halo of the Milky Way and the halo and disk of the LMC. Evidence is presented for the existence of a hot (somewhat below 1 million K), low-density (about 0.001 H atom per cu cm) Galactic corona.

Zeippen, Seaton, and Morton (1977) recently published profiles of interstellar neutral oxygen lines in Zeta Oph. From a reconsideration of the profiles of visual interstellar lines to that star, it follows that the cloud dominating the O I absorption could have a very small velocity spread, approximately 0.5 km/s. Analysis of the profile of the 1302-A line gives a column density of O I in that cloud of 6.0 + or - 5 x 10 to the 17th per sq cm. This implies an upward revision of the abundance of free oxygen by a factor 1.5 and hence that oxygen is only 25% depleted in the gas to Zeta Oph, contrary to the minimum depletion of a factor 1.8 found by Zeippen, Seaton, and Morton. This small depletion of oxygen in interstellar gas is consistent with the widespread absence of absorption by H2O ice mantles on interstellar dust grains.